The present invention relates to cushions and, more particularly, to a personal comfort pad providing relief to discomfort through adaptability and long term distribution of energy.
Much of physical human discomfort is the result of pressure points caused by the human body's prolonged contact with a harder surface, typically occurring when in a seated position, such as but not limited in an office chair, vehicle seat or the like. When portions of the body such as elbows, forearms, wrist, knees, ankles or legs come in regular with a harder support surface, uncomfortable pressure points develop that if continued could produce a host of underlying medical conditions.
Technologies addressing the needs to relieve such pressure points have been available from the beginning of time when humans first placed leaves or animal fur on the rock to disburse the pressure energy into their body. These technologies have evolved over time but for the most part have focused on durability rather than comfort. Moreover, such conventional cushioning devices have built in limitations as they are specifically designed for a specific or certain application, such as an arm rest. Such cushioning devices have been made to modify or adapt specific existing structures, but have limited usefulness due to the extreme variations in the total types of structures that can result in pressure points. This combined with the limiting energy dispersing capabilities and rapid degradation of current cushioning devices' materials, have produced a less than satisfactory performance in delivering personal comfort.
Furthermore, current cushioning devices include at least one or more of the following disadvantages. Due to the many different types of seating arrangements and pressure points specific to the body type, as well as individual seating preferences and material types of the surfaces, current cushioning devices do not have adequate adjustability so as to allow the user to place the cushioning device in a position specific to their unique situation and preferences. An additional disadvantage of the current cushioning devices is lack of ergonomic qualities of the material used to provide for the continuous comfort of the user. Yet another disadvantage is that most current cushioning devices are limited to either a mechanical attachment or adhesive attachment but not both, limiting the variability of applications.
As can be seen, there is a need for a personal comfort pad providing relief to discomfort through adaptability and long term distribution of energy.